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Hey, I’m back, it’s been a while….been busy making music, it takes a lot of time to express yourself while trying to keep it artistic and poetic, I’ve been practicing, I hope to be very good one day.

Anyways, on to boxing, one of my many passions, this Saturday, May 1st, Floyd “Money” Mayweather FINALLY takes a step up to face the hungry “Sugar” Shane Mosley. Boy, what a fight this could be eh? This is the first time Mayweather’s will be in a bout that I am extremely eager to see, it’s probably because he’s fighting my P-Town home boy, Shane Mosley. Well, I’m very excited, and most boxing fans are, we finally get to see what Floyd can do against a naturally bigger, strong and possibly faster opponent. I for one, don’t really believe that Mosley is faster than Mayweather, he might be on par, but to say he’s definitely faster would be wrong (IMO). But we do know that Mosley is indeed bigger and stronger than Mayweather, that is a fact, not to mention, Mosley is a bit more experienced due to the fact that Mosley has had to deal with adversity and losses, Floyd, simply has not. Credit must be given to Floyd for never having to be in a situation where he was forced to deal with adversity, but, then again, since leaving the 135lb division, Mayweather has yet to face someone who can possibly present that situation.

Okay, on to my prediction because I do got to get back to writing some lyrics, and I was in a zone Lol. I want to start off by saying that in my heart, Mosley wins this, I think he’s more than capable, he’s big, strong, fast, powerful and he shows up to fight (and win of course) each time out, can’t say the same about Floyd. Most would say that I’m a Mayweather “hater”, but I’m not, the man has tremendous skills, he’s looked like magic in the past, there is no arguing his level of skill and ring IQ, he’s as good as they can come, I just wish he would fight better opposition, it’s that simple. In this fight, Floyd has every advantage except for power, Mosley has the edge there, hands down. But in all other areas, Mayweather has shown to have more, his defense is the best in the business, his hand speed is incredible, his timing can nullify any opponent and he has great ring generalship, it’s safe to say, Mosley will have his hands full come May 1st. Having said that, I do believe Mosley can win this one, he’s been there done that in terms of situations, he’s seen it all, and he’s beaten most of the men he’s faced, his losses came to big rangy boxers who could box, Floyd can box, but he’s not big nor rangy, this bolds well for Mosley. I’m not going to get too into this who prediction thing, most of what I’m saying (and planned on saying) has been said. So, in the end, I see Mayweather winning via UD, of course, I want Mosley to show the world why the 40 who’ve tried have failed in beating Mayweather, and he sure can.

Okay fight fans, here we go again, Manny Pacquiao is at it again, fighting a bigger, stronger man in Puerto Rico’s Miguel Cotto, what a fight this could turn out to be, HERE WE GO!

Okay, I want to start off by explaining my thoughts on the #1 P4P fighter, Manny Pacquiao, I am a huge fan of good fights, I mean, who isn’t right? and Manny ALWAYS gives us good fights, I’ll never forget his destruction of Barrera, his three epic battles with Erik Morales, or his two very close action packed fights with Juan Manuel Marquez, they were all amazing in their own way. Since losing to Erik Morales in their first encounter back in 2005, Manny Pacquiao has made a name for himself by beating everyone put in front of him, and most of the guys were NOT supposed to lose, that’s the main thing. I always knew Manny was a good fighter, but I think my vision was clouded from the jump, I felt he beat Barrera when Barrera wasn’t at his best, yes he was ranked much higher than Pacman, but with all the distractions surrounding Barrera leading up to the fight, I felt it was a bad time for the fight, and it showed, Pacquiao pummeled Barrera in route to a TKO victory. I’m not totally trying to discredit Pacman’s win, it was a good one, but that wasn’t the Marco Antonio Barrera we’ve grown to love, he was out of it, his heart just wasn’t there, he didn’t want to fight, all credit to Pacman for taking advantage of that, but it just wasn’t a good time for Barrera. In his next fight, Pacquiao was matched against the underrated (at the time) Juan Manuel Marquez, this was supposed to be Marquez’s time to shine, he was given the chance to fight his way out of the shadows of his fellow countrymen, Barrera and Morales, and that chance nearly slipped in the opening round. Marquez was caught cold by Pacman’s left hand and down he went, on shaky legs, he fought back, but was dropped two more times before the round could end. From the second round on, Marquez had his man figured out, he was totally outboxing Pacquiao, virtually on his way to victory. When the scorecards were read, people were in shock to hear that the fight had been ruled a draw, most (myself included) felt Marquez had won, after the first round, he controlled the pace, landed the cleaner hard shots and at times he made Pacquiao look like an ameature.

Since then, Manny has fought the likes of David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, beating each one in dominant fashion. He stopped all three men in three different weight classes, that’s got to count for something right? Right! But even then, there’s still some things critics like to point out, I for one, love to. After fighting Marquez for the second time last year, Manny made the jump up to Lightweight to face David Diaz, who clearly was NOT the best belt holder in that weight division at that time, so, you could say that Pacquiao chose the “easier” route to a Lightweight belt. Then, he made another huge leap from Lightweight up to Welterweight to fight a faded Oscar De La Hoya, I will be the first to say that I felt Oscar would beat Manny, I thought Oscar was just too big and would be too experienced for the mighty Pacman, BOY was I ever wrong, Pacquiao put the whoopin on Oscar and earned himself a very solid 8th round TKO victory. But even then, Oscar wasn’t even close to being one of the best Welterweights, he hadn’t even fought at that weight since 2001 when he fought Arturo Gatti (R.I.P), and it showed greatly. Oscar was a shell of himself, he came into the bout looking physically depleted, he had nothing left, but, again, let’s give Manny credit for doing what he was supposed to, which was to win, and he did. The one fight I give Pacquiao tremendous credit for was win over Manchester’s Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton, Pacman destroyed the game Hatton in 2 one-sided rounds, and this fight took place in Hatton’s division, 140lbs, a weight division in which Hatton was undefeated, having beat some of the Jr. Welterweights in boxing, and Manny walked right through him, now that, was impressive.

That leads us into tomorrow’s fight, where Pacquio will once again try and make history, being the first boxer to have won his 7th title in a record 7th weight division, wow! Even still, Pacquiao and his camp have tried whatever they can to give a slight advantage to the #1 P4P fighter by NOT allowing Cotto to weigh in at the Welterweight limit of 147lbs, instead, they asked Cotto to weigh in no more than 145lbs, for a title fight? Now, does that seem right? NO. Is it fair? Doesn’t sound like it, yet Cotto obliged. I’m not saying that it’s totally wrong, but it’s questionable, how can one fighter bend the rules in his favor, I guess when you’re name is Manny Pacquiao, you can. I still think this will be a great fight, and props to both fighters for agreeing to it, I just wish Freddie Roach would stop trying to find ways for his fighter to get every bit of an advantage, it’s either than, or it’s just mind games, one or the other.

Anyways, let’s just be happy we’re getting such a great fight huh? Yes! Here we go

Okay, I’ve done a lot of thinking and I tried to envision the fight in my head, and boy it’s a tough one to call. Both men are great, but only one man can win. Who will it be?
I can’t even get into details, this is an even fight, Cotto is bigger and stronger, Manny is faster, but to be honest, I think it’s going to come down to who can implement their gameplan as their opponent dishes out their best. This is what I mean.

It’s been a while since I’ve written a post, I’ve been busy with other stuff…anyway, I’m talking as if anyone even really reads my blogs, but hey, you never know..Right?

Well, I’ll start off with the recent “Big Fight”, which was Marquez’s first trip up to Welterweight when he squared off with returning, Floyd Mayweather Jr. Well, I didn’t give Marquez much of a chance to be quite honest with you, the chips were stacked against him, he was moving up in weight (2 weight classes to be exact), he was noticeably the smaller man when the bell rang. Although Mayweather put on an awesome display of his skills, it wasn’t an impressive victory, he was fighting a lightweight, not to mention that Floyd didn’t even have the decency to weigh in at the contracted/agreed weight of 144lbs, coming in at 146lbs to Marquez’s 142lbs. Marquez did his best, like always, but unfortunately it was not enough to compete with the clever Mayweather. What’s next for Floyd? Mosley? Not a chance, it’s going to be the winner of the Cotto/Pacquiao fight…..Ooohhh!!!

Now, on to my post, tomorrow night at the Staples Center, unbeaten Heavyweight hopeful Cristobal Arreola will take on the monstrous Vitali Klitschko in a Heavyweight bout for Vitali’s WBC Title. If Arreola can defy the odds (considered by experts to be a 7-1 underdog, WOW) and pull off the upset, he will become the FIRST Heavyweight Champion of Mexican descent in boxing history, now that would be an honor for the crowd pleasing slugger. But, Can he do it?

I for one, give Chris a very good chance at winning this, most feel his soft body will be the reason, but I don’t think so, your body doesn’t win you fights, it’s your skills and your mind that does, and Chris is pretty well schooled. Supported by a good ameature background, Arreola has a solid ring IQ, combined with one punch KO power, and with that, he becomes a threat to ANY Heavyweight, if you ask me, some/most don’t agree, but that’s okay. Since his return to the ring after a 4 year break from the ring (due to injuries), Vitali returned to current form in stopping Sam Peter inside the distance to win the WBC title, following that with a fairly impressive TKO win over once beaten Juan Carlos Gomez to retain his Heavyweight crown. After only 2 fights since his return to the ring, Vitali takes what I call a tough test, reason being, I believe Arreola is something Vitali hasn’t seen in a while, Arreola is big, strong and packs a mean punch. Arreola might not be as experienced as Vitali, but he knows enough to make this fight competitive, and might just have enough to win it, who knows. Only thing that worries me, is Arreola’s poor defense, he does get hit a lot, as was dropped two fights ago by Travis Walker, although Arreola dusted himself off in route to a third round KO victory, some questioned his ability to take a punch, but why? he did what was expected of him, he won, and in spectacular fashion..I see nothing wrong with a little give and take. But not in this fight, a give and take affair could spell disaster for the Mexican, but he’s more than willing, and I’m more than excited to watch. I still feel that Vitali has the upper hand in this bout, he’s bigger, possibly stronger and has a superb KO ratio, having stopped 36 of his 37 opponents, WOW!! Still, this is boxing, and anything can happen, especially with two Heavyweight sluggers, I will pulling for Chris all the way, but I can definitely see Vitali being too much for him, we’ll soon find out.
I can’t pick a winner, both are good and both want to win…..it’ll come down to who lands the first solid punch! Believe that.

I was deeply saddened when I found out that our beloved ring warrior Arturo Gatti had been taken from us, it definitley hurt, but he can now live in a better place. There’s nothing really more to say about Arturo Gatti that hasn’t already been said, he was one of a kind, he brought excitement to the sport of boxing each and every time he stepped in that squared circle, he was an animal, a balls out warrior. He will FOREVER be missed. R.I.P Arturo ‘Thunder’ Gatti. We love you!

Since retiring after his 10th round KO win over then undefeated Ricky Hatton, Floyd Mayweather has kept somewhat quiet, clearly basking in his hard earned wealth and taking time to enjoy life out of the boxing ring, and who can blame him. After spending more than half of his life training and competing at the highest level, Floyd Mayweather announced to the boxing world that he is stepping away from the sport, claiming he no longer loved boxing, and that his career had finally came to an end and would retire as an undefeated P4P champion, but did we really believe him? The answer is easy, NO. Of course some level of respect must be given to a man who had committed years of his life to such a demanding sport, but It was hard to think a fighter with his talent and perfected craft could end his career when it had finally reached the pinnacle of the sport, with that said, it was just a matter of time before he would be lacing them up again.

Since the retirement of Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao has fought his way to the #1 spot atop the P4P rankings, with wins over Juan Manuel Marquez, David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, Pacquiao is a storm headed for greatness and has solidified his claim as boxing’s best. Although many would argue (myself included) that Pacquiao failed to convincingly beat Juan Manuel Marquez, it has been written in the history books that Manny Pacquiao holds one draw and one win over the Mexican Great, but, history also tells us that a third and final match would indeed, settle the score, after all, how else will we ever know who is actually better? We won’t. Since their epic battle in March of 2008, Juan Manuel Marquez followed Pacquiao up to the Lightweight division, scoring impressive KO victories over then #1 Lightweight Joel Casamayor, and former Lightweight powerhouse Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz. Marquez proved he was not only the best Lightweight in the world, but one of boxing’s best, period. Marquez worked his way up to #2 P4P with two well deserved wins and an iron will to fight anyone, anywhere. In a post fight interview with Max Kellerman, following his 9th round destruction of Juan Diaz, Marquez expressed his frustration with Pacquiao, stating that since the Filipino did/does not want to fight with him again, he will move on to fight who he felt was the best of the best, that man being none other than, Floyd Mayweather Jr. (who of course was retired at the time). In the following month, news spread through the boxing forums that Floyd Mayweather Jr. was ready to dance again and was looking for a partner, how convenient, Right? Right. On May 2nd 2009, after a short lived retirement, Floyd Mayweather Jr. officially announced his return to the sport, with millions to be earned and a legacy to protect, Mayweather returned to face Pacquiao’s rival, Juan Manuel Marquez.

As much as I hate this matchup for Marquez, I’m glad to see that he is doing very well for himself, he had spent many years in the shadows of his fellow countrymen greats, Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales. But since the decline of those two warriors, Marquez has reached a level in the sport that he and many felt would be nothing but a dream, but he has managed to work hard and bag a fight with one of the current ‘Money Makers’ of the sport, set to make a stand on a grand stage, against an undefeated fighter who is considered to be one of the most gifted boxers to ever lace up a pair of gloves..Way to go Marquez!!!

I am a huge Maruqez, I love his heart and determinatino, this article is in now way meant to take away from Manny Pacquiao, he is indeed a great fighter, his win over Ricky Hatton proved to me that he is a force in boxing and has a chance against anyone, but I’m also a realist, I don’t watch fights or write articles wearing ‘fan blinders’, I see things for what they are. Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez are EQUALS, we have yet to find out who is the better fighter, the first fight was a draw, the second fight was a one point win for Pacquiao, and it was such a close fight, that it could have gone either way, Pacquiao can on to defeat more and more top notch competition, but until he convincingly defeats Marquez, they will always be each other’s equal.

First I would like to start off by congratulating Manny Pacquiao on a spectacular performance Saturday, he proved to me why he is the #1 P4P fighter in the sport, because since his debatable win against the always brave Juan Manuel Marquez in March of last year, Manny hasn’t really done much in my eyes to claim the #1 spot in the P4P rankings. Sure he has won his last 3 fights in 3 different weight divisions (130, 135 & 147), but they were not against “the best” the division had to offer. David Diaz, although a Title holder, was not the best Lightweight around, at the time Manny moved up from 130lbs to 135lbs, Nate Campbell and Joel “El Cepillo” Casamayor were recognized as the two best Lightweights in the world, but Manny elected to face the not so dangerous David Diaz. In De La Hoya, we had a fighter who had not fought at the Welterweight limit in more than 7 years, and who had also only fought 4 times since losing to Bernard Hopkins in 2004, he was in no way the best at Welterweight, or the best in any division in boxing for that matter. Yes, I know, I picked De La Hoya to beat Pacquiao, I even had an article written on why I felt Oscar would win, but I really had no idea how making 147lbs would affect Oscar, but it indeed was the reason he fought so poorly, after seeing Oscar step into the ring the night he faced Pacquiao, I knew, it was over.

Even then, I still gave Manny the benefit of the doubt, the world felt he was the best, and how can I argue, I was simply waiting for a time that he could prove it to me, and boy, did he ever prove it so dramatically.

Hatton vs Pacquiao: My thoughts

I for one, did not know who would win the fight, both fighters possessed great skills, along with some weaknesses, it was just up to each of them to fight the perfect fight, and it so happened to be Pacquiao who not only stuck to his game plan, but executed is so perfectly, that he ultimately ended the fight, with the perfect punch.

Okay, it’s no secret that Manny Pacquiao has one of the best straight left hands in boxing, but no one really knew much about his right hook, but I did. In my keys to victory for Manny, I stated, “Hatton’s jab is often used as a blinder, and at times, it falls short, Manny hopes this is the case more often than not, if Hatton’s jab falls short, Manny can really land that Right Hook”, that’s pretty much what happened, although it was Hatton’s left hook that was telegraphed and continuously falling short, either way, Manny’s right hook was beautiful. In the opening round, Hatton’s game plan seemed to fly straight out the window, immediately resulting to his old mauling brawling style, keeping his head very stationery as he blitzed in with his hands low, the biggest mistake you can make against a tornado like Pacquiao, and Hatton paid the price, big time. Hatton was dropped in round one with a perfectly timed right hook, Hatton seemed shaken, but didn’t seem badly hurt. Hatton got up at the count of 8, with no skill or will to survive, Hatton once against stepped into the fire, Pacman again poured it on and dropped Hatton for the second time with 8 seconds left in the round. In round 2, Manny continued to time Hatton, landing right hooks and lead lefts anytime Hatton cocked his arms to fire, with 8 seconds left in the round, Manny landed the most perfect left cross anyone can ever land, and Hatton was put to sleep before even hitting the canvas, it was shocking.

With this win, Manny Pacquiao earned the #1, I mean, it was a brilliant performance by the Filipino slugger, he completely annihilated Ricky Hatton, a fighter who was unbeaten at 140lbs, and Manny made it look easy.

Okay folks, tomorrow, two of the best fighters in the world collide head to head in a battle for Super Lightweight Supremecy, Filipino icon and boxings #1 P4P fighter Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao attempts to dethrone the once beaten Jr. Welterweight kingpin Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton. This is what boxing is all about, the best fighting the best, and in this case, it’s also the East vs West, what a sport.

This is by far the best fight that can be made at the moment, certainly some would argue that a fight between Filipino great Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. would serve as a much better boxing match between the former P4P Champ and the Current P4P Champ. Instead, there are talks of Money Mayweather coming out of his year and half retirement to face Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez, that will tie Mayweather up (as well as Marquez) for possibly the remainder of the year, so, we may be looking at late this year or early next year to see Pacquiao take on the undefeated Mayweather, it is certainly a fight we all wish will happen, and with both fighters being so good at putting cheeks in seats, it just might happen sooner than later. But for now, we point our attention to this weekends battle of Jr. Welterweights, I am not going to spend much time disecting their careers or their accomplishments, I’ve read dozens of articles regarding these two in past few weeks, I’m ready to just give my opinion and normal prediction, so, with one man being the king of the division, and the other being the king of boxing, Who wins?

Well, let’s get to it..shall we

Okay, I am going to be honest, I am not the biggest Manny Pacquiao fan, and I’m not even that into Ricky Hatton either, nothing against the two, they’re very good fighters, I just don’t get that chilling suspense when either of them are preparing for a fight, unless of course, it’s against one of my favorite fighters. But, we’re not anticipating either of them facing another fighter, they’re actually facing each other, which definitely has the boxing world buzzing, and I myself, am pretty anxious to see these two warriors go at it, it just has the potential to be a mind blowing affair and one that will be talked about for years. Both guys are at their peak, more so for Pacman, but Hatton too, isn’t far from his best, he only has lost one time as a pro, and that was against the former P4P Champion, Floyd Mayweather Jr. Since then, Hatton has back to back wins, one being more important than the other, but none the less, he’s been on the winning end, and hopes to win again this weekend. Pacquiao has not lost since March of 2005, when he was out boxed by future Hall Of Famer, Erik Morales, but since then, Manny has been on a winning streak, with two of those wins being against his former conqueror, Erik Morales. Since the first Morales fight, Manny Pacquiao has developed into much more of a complete fighter, combining amazing hand speed, power, boxing skills and and iron will to win, improving his over all abilites to not only win his fights, but to become what he is now, the current #1 P4P Fighter, what an accomplishment.

Rarely do I think both combatants have a chance to win, but this is definitely one of them. I will post my Keys To Victory for both fighters.\

Keys To Victory for: Ricky Hatton

– Use Head Movement: This is the most important key to victory for Ricky Hatton, because like Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao is a very sharp puncher with good power, he can easily draw Ricky into a shot that can cause him serious trouble. To avoid this, Hatton needs to move his head, when either in close or from a distance, in moving his head, Hatton will create the kind of movement that can mute some of Manny’s offense, and because of Hatton’s power, Manny will not commit to punches he does not feel he will land, that will give Hatton more breathing room.

– Attack The Body: Manny Pacquiao has a great chin, it has been tested against the likes of Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez, and it has held up very well, have only been slightly wobbled by Morales and Marquez. But, no one has ever really tested his body, something Ricky Hatton should intend on doing, because, at 140lbs, no one can land to the body the way Ricky Hatton does, when he lands, it hurts, and if he can land with great frequency to Manny’s mid section, we may get to witness Manny’s 3rd KO loss.

– Keep the Jab and Double Jab Going: Hatton is a brawler by nature, he applies pressure and at times is overly aggressive, approaching Pacquiao in the manner can result in another loss. Ricky must attempt to box a bit more, some feel he should muscle his way in and bully Manny around, but I think that Hatton must jab at Pacquiao, because in the past, Manny has never done well fighting on his heels, he is a type of figher who needs forward motion to make the most of his attack, if Ricky can jab and double jab at Manny’s face, he can create openings for his hooks and straight right hands, along with keeping Manny blinded and on his heels.

– Throw The Left Hook: The typical punch an othordox fighter uses against a southpaw is a straight right hand, but in this fight, I feel a Left Hook would be far more effective. Reason being is that Manny has mastered the art of throwing his lead left hand and circling away before his opponent can fire back, if Hatton can keep the jab going and time Manny with his Left Hook, I feel it is a punch that will land, and one that can cause Manny lots of problems.

Keys To Victory for: Manny Pacquiao

– Keep Moving: Like a lot of successful boxers, Manny has found that if he stays on his toes and keeps his legs moving, he becomes a much harder target to time and find, in the past, Manny was much more of a stationary fighter, he had great confidence in his power and hardly ever took a step back, he would contantly engage his opponents into a slug fest, something that always fell in his favor because of his fighting spirit and brawling tactics . But, since he’s moved up in weight, Manny has transformed into much more of a ‘boxer’, springing in and out while landing accurately in the process, against smaller fighters, Manny can stay in the trenches and exchange toe to toe, against bigger fighters (Diaz, De La Hoya), Manny has used his foot speed to his advantage, this is something he must do to keep Hatton reaching and missing.

– Attack The Body: In boxing, most feel that a boxers best punch, is usually a punch that can be effectively used against him, that notion can defintely be applied here. Ricky Hatton is the best body puncher at 140lbs, and arguably, the best body puncher in boxing today, he’s lethal with hooks to the body, just ask Castillo. If Manny Pacquiao can land his own body punches, he can do what only one other fighter has been able to do, which was slow Hatton down and use pin point head shots to put an end to the bout. Manny would be smart to keep a sustained attack to Hatton’s flattened beer belly.

– Throw The Straight Left: Manny’s best punch is none other than his straight left, from the southpaw stance, Manny throws this punch with pin point accuracy, it almost always lands, whether it be used as a lead punch or a counter punch, it’s very effective. The best chane of Manny landing the punch with great frequency, is to throw it as a counter punch rather than a lead punch, because unilke Diaz or De La Hoya, Hatton is much quicker in delivering his punches, if Manny opens up with a lead left at the wrong time, he can be countered, his best bet is to allow Hatton to miss and counter him with the straight left.

– Throw The Right Hook: In the De La Hoya fight, Pacquiao used a punch we have never really seen him use, it was the Right Hook to the head and body, it did wonders for him while circling away to avoid punches. Hatton’s jab is often used as a blinder, and at times, it falls short, Manny hopes this is the case more often then not, if Hatton’s jab falls short, Manny can really land that Right Hook.

That is the end of this post, not much of a prediction is it? But I can’t help it, this is a tough fight to call. I can care less who wins, both have a great chance..I just hope it’s a good fight!! Until next time….stay tuned

Tomorrow night, Juan Manuel Marquez takes on “The Baby Bull” Juan Diaz in a lightweight championship bout. Marquez became the Lineal Lightweight Champion when he knocked out the rock solid Joel Casamayor back in September of last year, he now attempts to add two more Lightweight belts to his credit by attempting to defeat, the once beaten Juan Diaz.

This should be a very entertaining fight, both men have tremendous boxing skills, both come to perform, and above all, both come to win. In his last outing, Marquez got a chance to win a title in his third weight class when he stepped into the ring against slick southpaw, Joel Casamayor, Marquez looked sensational, he seemed to be a much sturdier fighter at 135lbs, he was stronger, sharper, and by knocking out a fighter who had never been stopped before, he seemed more powerful. Now that Marquez has become the #1 lightweight in the world, he aims to fight the best out there, and that’s exactly what he’ll be getting tomorrow night when he faces the non-stop Juan Diaz. Since losing for the first time in his career to veteran Nate Campbell, Juan Diaz rebounded with an impressive win over hard hitting Michael Katsidis, in that fight, Diaz looked incredible with his offense, and even better with his renewed defense, slipping punches and landing his own, he now looks to become the best lightweight in the world by attempting to dethrone Marquez.

What a tough fight to call, I mean, it’s hard to pick, I really like Marquez in this fight, but Diaz is no slouch, he comes full throttle and he wants this win more than ever. I think both actually have a good shot at winning, like I’ve said in plenty of my past predictions, this fight will come down to who can execute their gameplan and throw the other off his.

Here are my keys to victory for both fighters.

Juan Manuel Marquez:

Use the jab – Diaz is a come forward type of fighter who wants to pressure you, if Marquez wants any shot of winning this one, he must establish his jab and keep it going, an absent jab means a closer Diaz.

Use Angles – Although Juan Diaz himself uses angles very well, he can be thrown off balance by stepping to his side after you fire off a combination, Nate Campbell used this technique, and it served him very well. Marquez can jab – right hand then circle away.

Attack The Body – In his fight with Nate Campbell, Diaz seemed to have slowed down a bit after Campbell attacked the body for a few round, Diaz indeed takes a good shot to the head, but he can definitely be weakened if Marquez throws in a body shot every now and then.

Juan Diaz:

Use Pressure – Marquez is a master boxer who loves to control the pace of a bout, that’s when he can set traps and land his punches with better precision, if Diaz can keep the pressure on Marquez, it will keep Marquez from thinking and worried more about staying away.

Stay Busy – Diaz is not known as a power puncher, he’s a fighter who uses and abundance of punches to wear his opponents down, he’s done it in the past to beat good punchers like Acelino Frietas and in his most recent bout with Katsidis. The more time Diaz spends laying back and waiting, the less chance he has of winning.

Box Don’t Brawl – Diaz possess great boxing skills, he’s fast and throws great combinations, but because of his lack of power, he can’t stand and trade with the powerful Marquez, he must stay busy and box. Marquez has the edge in power, by a lot, Diaz must be cautious at all times.

I really can’t say who will be the victor in this bout, all I can say, is it will be a good one. I will be rooting for Marquez ALL the way, but a Diaz win won’t be that surprising.

It’s almost here, the fight between Vic Darchinyan vs Jore Arce. In a previous entry, I showed my interest in this fight, and it’s just around the corner (tomorrow to be exact)

Tomorrow night in Anaheim California, Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan will attempt to defend his Flyweight titles (WBO, WBO & IBF) against the always colorful Jorge “El Travieso” Arce, this feud has been brewing for a couple of years now, and will be (hopefully) a sure fire brawl from start to finish. Both come to fight, both come to win and both want to knock their opponents out.

I’m not going to spend too much time talking about the fighters, but let it be known that although Vic Darchinyan is one strong little man, he is a trash talking villain who never respects his opponents, only he combines loads of power and an awkward style, he can be a nightmare for anyone, including Arce. Since the first time I’ve watched Arce battle in the ring, he’s harbored my attention, he’s a brawler by heart but also possess great boxing skills combined with an iron chin and power in both fists. This will be a fight.

Ever heard the phrase “Styles Make Fights”? if so, you’ll know that it’s exactly the case for this bout, Darchinyan is a hard punching fighter who relies on his natural reflexes and raw power, Arce on the other hand, is sometimes wild but can be methodical in his approach. It’s a case of an Awkward Puncher vs Boxer Puncher. Who wins?

Well, throughout his career, Jorge Arce has been known to engage in wars that find him bruised and bloodied, but because of his huge heart, he welcomes that anytime, he loves to fight, and loves to knock people out. As for Vic Darchinyan, he’s used to being the dictator and has failed when faced with adversity, this coming in the form of a humiliating 5th round TKO loss to Nonito Donaire, but since then, Darchinyan has bounced back with two very impressive KO victories against stiff opposition, being the first flyweight in history to be Undisputed Champion.

I have to be honest, I’m not a big fan of Vic Darchinyan, he’s a little too cocky for my taste, but his skills and power are undeniable, he’s a force in the division, and everyone should take him seriously. In this bout, I will say Arce has the upper hand as far ask “boxing skills” and experience, he’s faced some very good fighters and has passed some serious tests. Both men have been stopped in their respective careers, Darchinyan was KO’d by Nonito Donaire back in July of 2007, and Arce was KO’d by Michael Carbajal back in July of 1999.

Both can win this fight, I think it will come down to who can make the other guy fight their fight. If Arce wants to win this one (a big one at that), he needs to be him, a boxer puncher who can use effective counter punches to catch Darchinyan coming in (the same way Donaire did), and use body shots to setup the big punches upstairs. Vic has the tendency to get lazy at times and defense is not something he remembers very often, although he’s worked on it, he still has holes in his game that Arce can expose. As for Vic, he just needs to box from a distance and make every power punch count, he can’t reach with his punches or lunge in, that will cost him against a fighter like Arce. So, my prediction is, “Whoever Can Make the Other Guy Fight Their Fight” wins. I truly hope Arce can pull this one off, but he must be ware, Darchinyan is a little beast.

Oscar De La Hoya is one of the most recognizable faces in boxing, and in the history of the sport for that matter, he has the star power that every fighters craves, he undoubtedly has the skills of a great fighter, and built his career on fighting the best out there, and doing what he is supposed to do, which is beat the man in front of him. De La Hoya had great success early in his career, he was a big man to deal with in the lower weight divisions, he had size, power and above all, he had tremendous speed, with that, he was able to carry himself to a record of 31 wins, 0 losses, and 23 of those wins coming by way of knockout, he was the real deal. His first “Event” fight (besides the Chavez fights) fight took place on September 18th 1999, when he faced Puerto Rican knockout artist, Felix “Tito” Trinidad in one of the biggest Welterweight fight’s of all time, both undefeated, both very skilled, and both were extremely popular amongst their people, but only one can remain undefeated.

In that fight, Oscar De La Hoya was performing magic, he was completely out-boxing the Puerto Rican Star, beating him to the punch, and busting him up, but Trinidad would continue marching forward, not fazed by the Golden Boy’s early success, Trinidad, still on his toes, still punching back, but by the half way mark, he was clearly behind. By round 8, De La Hoya looked tired, completely drained by the boxing display and outstanding performance he was putting forth, and Tito began to come on strong, but Oscar was comfortable ahead in the fight, or so we thought. In rounds 11 and 12, De La Hoya jumped on his bicycle and started circling without punching, believing he was comfortably ahead, he was just trying to coast through the last two rounds, but as he did so, it allowed Trinidad to land some shots he may not have been able to had De La Hoya not decided to take the rounds off. In the end, Trinidad was awarded the extremely controversial decision win, and De La Hoya’s undefeated record died that night, and so did his drive to win the big fights.

Since that loss, De La Hoya has failed to win any of his big fights, except for his fight with Fernando Vargas, in which De La Hoya used his speed and boxing ability to pick apart the ferocious Vargas to stop him in the 11th round of a great fight, but still, that fight was more of a personal ordeal than a professional conquest, I am mainly referring to the big the fights, the money fights, the fights in where he was matched with someone equally as skilled or powerful.

-Mosley was undefeated, and arguably in his prime, it was the best fight that could have been made in the 147lb division (at that time), and Oscar jumped at the challenge, but fell short in one of the best boxer/puncher matched I have ever seen.

-Even with Hopkins being the much bigger man, De La Hoya proved his guts and took on the reigning 160lb champion, De La Hoya may have been knocked out (by a phantom punch, yes, I said it), but he still proved he wanted to take on the best.

-Floyd Mayweather was the #1 Pound-4-Pound fighter on the planet, undefeated, in his prime, fast, strong and extremely gifted, De La Hoya once again, elected to face the best, but once again, fell short of winning a big one.

Four major bouts, and De La Hoya fell short in every single one, Why? You may ask, well it’s simple, he lacked superiority against each opponent, they were just as good, if not better. But the fact that he was constantly put in the ring with men who were at the peak of their careers says a lot about De La Hoya, he never backed out of a fight, he indeed fought the best in his era, there were also fights in which many believe he won. Win or lose the big fights, there is no doubt in my mind that those fight made Oscar the fighter he will be remembered for being, they tought him how to fight the best, accept defeat, and embrace victory.

Okay, I’m constantly browsing the Internet and reading up on my boxing, daily, and after indulging in great articles written by some very experienced boxing analysts, I go on to read the comments posted on the article, some are very honest in their opinions, some know nothing, and others come off as smart alecks and know it alls. Well one thing is certain, no one will know the outcome of any fight until the fight is over, it’s not right to assume you know the outcome, but you’re to state your opinion and possibly back up your prediction with good facts. Sometimes you’re right, and sometimes you’re wrong, that’s just the way it is.

I for one, think that De La Hoya will not only beat Manny Pacquiao, but he will knock him out somewhere between rounds 8 and 9, and here is why.

Manny Pacquiao is a very good fighter, he has tremendous speed, agility and power, and has grown into a near complete fighter, at age 29, Manny Pacquiao is in his physical prime, beating every man who stands in his way, his only loss in the last 12 years was to Mexican legend, Erik Morales, but Pacquiao then went on to avenge that loss in impressive fashion, twice. Since his first fight with Morales, Manny Pacquiao has remained on the winning end of every fight, but I think his time is up, he’s fighting not only a much bigger man, but a more experienced man, a stronger man, and maybe even a man who’s carries the same amount of speed. Oscar has more advantages (in my eyes) than most would care to point out, De La Hoya is bigger, much bigger, and I think the fact that he’s coming down in weight will increase not only his power, but his speed, less weight to carry in throwing his combinations, plenty would argue that Welterweight is De La Hoya’s more natural weight, he did okay at 154, but failed to impress at 160, 147 is where he should be. Fighting at 147 is something De La Hoya hasn’t done since he fought Arturo Gatti in 2001, but still, there shouldn’t be much of a problem for De La Hoya coming back down, his last fight was in May of this year when he defeated Stevie Forbes at a catch weight of 150 lbs, this fight will take place 3 lbs south, which isn’t very much, this just might be the right weight, at the right time in his storied career. Another major factor in this fight is Manny coming up in weight, again, many will disagree, but Pacquiao will be fighting 12 lbs heavier than in his last fight, where he fought at 135 brutally knocked out David Diaz, but that was also his first time campaigning at 135 lbs, having won his most significant fights at 126 and 130 lbs. Not sure how much (if any) speed Pacquiao will lost in this bout, he seemed to still be very fast at 135 lbs, and his punches had a bit more snap and power behind them, but will an extra 12 lbs be too much to carry into a fight with a man of De La Hoya’s size?

I think so, Manny Pacquiao had almost more than he can handle in defeating Juan Manuel Marquez in both of their epic battles, both fights were scored very close and could have gone either way, most would also like to grant Marquez victory in the second fight, claiming he landed more of the clean effective punches, I would be quick to agree. The main reason Manny struggled with Marquez was because Marquez is an excellent boxer with good power in both hands, he’s a technical fighter who uses lateral movement, a very assertive jab, and works off it to throw and land crisp combinations, something Oscar has perfected throughout his boxing career. If Manny struggled with a fighter like Marquez, how can he expect to handle a fighter who possess the same skills, but is naturally bigger and stronger?

He simply can’t, De La Hoya will fight tall, he will not give up his height, he will use his jab, which I think will be the key weapon in this fight, Freddie Roach (Manny’s trainer) admits that his only concern is in fact De La Hoya’s jab, it is strong and possess a major threat to anyone on the receiving end. In order for Pacquiao to have success in this fight, he must close the distance, which will be an amazing feat, because he’s giving up not only 4” in height, but a whopping 6” in reach, which is a major, major factor, he will have tremendous difficulty getting close if De La Hoya sticks to his jab. I expect an over hand right and left hook to follow the jab of Oscar, but Manny is very quick on his feet, he will move as much as possible, and keep up the pace to test De La Hoya’s conditioning, which has haunted many times before.

I see a very energetic Pacquiao in the first few rounds, he will come in and show Oscar that this is indeed a fight, he will not wait to see what De La Hoya will do, but Oscar, on the other hand will be a bit more plodding as he finds his target with a razor sharp jab and right hand, all meant to disrupt Manny’s explosive style that comes at you from a southpaw stance. Manny Pacquiao is typically head hunter, he greatly believes in his power, only he knows that in this fight, a one punch KO is not in the cards, but a steady body attack that can take De La Hoya’s legs if the fight goes beyond 6 rounds, only problem there is when in fact Manny throws to the body, he will have to bend in, and that will only give De La Hoya more chances to land. But if in fact Manny can get his rhythm and make De La Hoya fight 3 minutes of every round, he can find himself on the winning end of a close decision win, but, if Pac-Man allows Oscar to set the pace and keep him at bay, it’s over. The most admirable thing about the Filipino star, is his style, he comes to fight, he comes to win and he loves fighting toe to toe, now who doesn’t like a fighter like that, no one, but I think his style, is perfectly suited for Oscar De La Hoya.

In the end, I see Oscar sending Manny to the canvas, and for the first time in 9 years, Manny will not beat the 10 count, not sure in which form the KO will come, either from a body shot, or a head shot, but Manny Pacquiao will be knocked out on December 6th, inside 9 rounds.

I must say this, as always, this is boxing, anything can happen, I stand behind my prediction, and will admit when I’m wrong……stay tuned!!!